I called Alicia.

‎No answer.

‎I tried again.

‎Still nothing.

‎This time, it went straight to voicemail.

‎I assumed she was angry and didn’t want to pick up.

‎After a moment of hesitation, I typed a message:

‎*"Lilian is severely injured. Her call earlier was a cry for help. I have an unavoidable responsibility and will stay with her tonight. We’ll talk tomorrow when I return. Please stay home and wait for me."*

I sent the message.

‎I stood outside for a while before returning to the hospital room.

‎The next morning, I checked my phone and opened my chat with Alicia. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

‎No reply.

‎I stepped into the hallway and called her again.

‎Still turned off.

‎I paused for a moment, then dialed Maria’s number.

‎"Sir, is there something you need?" she answered.

‎"Maria, can you hand the phone to Alicia. I need to speak with her."

‎"Sure."

‎A few minutes passed.

‎When she returned, her voice sounded careful—almost helpless.

‎"Sir... Miss Alicia said she won’t speak to you."

‎I fell silent.

‎Then I said quietly,

‎"If she won’t answer, then so be it."

‎---

‎Before long, Lilian woke up.

‎Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was me standing by her bedside.

‎Relief spread across her face immediately.

‎She reached for my hand.

‎I didn’t pull away.

‎I sat down beside her.

‎"How are you feeling?" I asked.

‎"It hurts..." Lilian’s voice was weak.

‎"I’ll call the doctor," Kendra said quickly.

‎But Lilian tightened her grip on my hand.

‎"Alexander..."

‎Her voice trembled.

‎"I was so scared. Why didn’t you answer my call yesterday? I thought... you didn’t love me anymore."

‎Her eyes filled with tears.

‎"I was trapped. The fire was everywhere. I kept screaming, but no one came. It hurt so much... I thought I was going to die."

‎She swallowed shakily.

‎"If you didn’t love me anymore... I thought maybe it was better to just die there."

‎A faint shift passed through my expression.

‎But inside, there was no real emotional reaction.

‎I simply said,

‎"Don’t think like that. I just didn’t hear it."

‎Lilian tightened her grip again.

‎"It’s not your fault... just stay with me, Alexander. You will stay, won’t you?"

‎"Don’t talk too much," I replied calmly. "Focus on resting. You need to recover."

‎A faint smile formed on her lips.

‎"As long as you’re here... I’ll heal."

‎The doctor entered the room shortly after.

‎I stepped out to give them space

Around 10 AM, Kendra had already arranged for visitors to come.

It wasn’t a small matter when a model was injured during a live production, especially since the investors were from Arclaire Entertainment Group, and the injured person was Lilian. The crew had been extremely proactive in coordinating everything with Kendra.

Five people arrived to visit—an assistant director, a representative from the production company, Aiden, and two other models.

When they entered and saw me, the assistant director stepped forward first.

"CEO Blackwood."

The others quickly followed.

"CEO Blackwood."

"I didn’t expect you to be here," the assistant director said carefully. "Are you here visiting Miss Lilian?"

"Yes," I replied. "I’ll step outside for a bit. Don’t let me interrupt you. Please go ahead."

I left the room to give them space.

I walked around outside for a while.

After some time, I assumed the group would be leaving soon, so I turned back toward the room.

As I passed a corner in the hallway, I overheard a conversation between the production representative and Aiden.

"You weren’t there at the time, right?" the production staff asked. "It shouldn’t have been that serious, should it?"

Aiden recalled the incident slowly.

"Everyone was really panicked at the time. But thankfully, the rescue team got there quickly, so the fire didn’t spread much."

He paused.

"When I was pulled out, I only remember her left pant leg being burned. I didn’t see any other major injuries, though I might have missed something."

The production representative frowned slightly.

"Maybe you didn’t miss anything."

He lowered his voice.

"I heard the same thing from others—the skin underneath was fine, and only the outer clothing was damaged. How serious could it really have been?"

He gave a small, dismissive laugh.

"These days, talent agencies know how to exaggerate situations for publicity."

"If Lilian’s medical report gets released, fans will probably attack the production team. It’ll turn into a sympathy campaign for her."

He clicked his tongue.

"They already told her to be careful."

I stood still.

Listening.

"Let’s not talk about this," Aiden said calmly. "Regardless of the reasons, her injury is a fact. That’s still a production oversight. Director Holland is staying positive, and we’ll cooperate fully."

‎One of the producers added, lowering his voice slightly.

‎"I heard CEO Blackwood stayed at the hospital all night because of it. Seems like he really cares about Miss Lilian."

‎Aiden gave a small nod.

‎"That’s rare, indeed."

‎No one said anything further.

‎Shortly after, the remaining crew members returned, and the group left together.

‎I watched their retreating figures for a long moment, deep in thought.

‎Something didn’t sit right.

‎Aiden’s version of events was completely different from Kendra’s.

‎Aiden said the rescue had been quick and controlled.

‎Kendra insisted there had been major delays due to production negligence.

‎Aiden and the producer both claimed the burns were mostly limited to the left leg and not severe.

‎But Kendra had said Lilian suffered burns over more than twenty percent of her body.

‎Two completely different accounts.

‎And from the producer’s tone earlier, it almost sounded like Lilian’s condition might not have been entirely accidental—or at least not as straightforward as it was being presented.

‎Logic told me not to jump to conclusions.

‎But Alicia’s status update suddenly flashed through my mind again, disturbing my judgment.

‎I searched online for footage of the incident.

‎Most clips were short—too chaotic to understand clearly.

‎Flames.

‎Smoke.

‎People shouting.

‎Then the screen cutting off.

‎After a moment of silence, I called Jane.

‎"Jane, send me the full footage of Lilian’s injury."

‎"Understood, CEO Blackwood. I’ll retrieve it immediately."

‎I ended the call.

‎Then I dialed Michael Livingston.

‎"Hello, Alexander," Michael answered. "You were looking for me?"

‎"Yes." My voice was steady. "I need to ask you something. And I want the truth."

‎"Alright," he replied cautiously. "Ask."

‎"Who told you to come find me yesterday?"

‎Silence.

‎A pause stretched between us.

‎"Who told you Lilian’s injuries were serious enough to pull me away?"

‎Michael didn’t respond.

‎My expression cooled slightly.

‎"Michael," I said calmly, "I know you’re close to Lilian. But you should be careful who you trust."

‎He quickly spoke up.

‎"Alexander, bro, don’t say that. Of course I see you as a friend."

‎"Then answer me."

‎Another pause.

‎"Before I do," Michael said slowly, "I have a question."

‎"Ask."

‎"After you left yesterday... Alicia said she’s your wife. That you two are married. Is that true?"

‎A brief silence.

‎"Yes," I said quietly.

‎Michael froze.

‎"Bro... what? Since when? Why didn’t I know about this?"

‎"Two years ago."

‎His voice rose slightly.

‎"Two years ago?"

‎Then he hesitated.

‎"...So what you’re saying is... Alexander, you’re cheating?"

‎My expression didn’t change.

‎"Answer my question first. Who told you to come yesterday? Who told you about Lilian’s condition?"...Michael exhaled sharply.

‎"I’ll tell you—but don’t expose me."

‎A pause.

‎"...It was Lilian."

‎My eyes darkened slightly.

‎"Lilian?"....

‎